Earlier on Friday, Anelka used social media to announce he was leaving the club immediately.

He wrote: "Following discussions between the club and myself, certain conditions have been set for me to rejoin the group, which I can't accept.

"In order to preserve my integrity, I've terminated my contract with West Brom with immediate effect."

However, West Brom responded by releasing a statement saying "the termination was invalid as it was not conducted under the correct legal process".

The statement also detailed the conditions Anelka needed to meet to enable his club suspension to be lifted.

It read: "The club required Nicolas Anelka to apologise to it, its supporters, sponsors and the wider community for the impact and consequences of his gesture made on December 28 and secondly, that he accept a substantial fine.

"The club considers the conduct of Nicolas Anelka on December 28, coupled with his purported termination on social media, to be gross misconduct."

The striker, who joined Albion in the summer on a 12-month deal, would only have been eligible to play in Albion's final five Premier League games due to his ban.

But with his West Brom career now over, he made 12 appearances, scoring two goals - both in the game against West Ham.

He was given the punishment by the Football Association's independent regulatory commission for making the controversial gesture, described as an "inverted Nazi salute".